Ok, true confessions – I love me some big juicy beef burger. BUT, I also love my health so I’ve been experimenting with leaner meats and I’ve finally found my way to a fabulous chicken burger.  And lovin’ you all like I do — I have to share!

THIS was my lunch today. Chicken burger with kale, pickled peppers, and creamy lemon dill dressing on a toasted wheat bun. The dressing and pickled peppers offered a nice freshness and light tang that paired wonderfully with the deeper flavors of the meat and toasted wheat bun.

Isn’t that GORGEOUS!!!??

Tastes good and is good for you!

And trust me, this was NOT dry at all.  Chicken burgers have gotten a bad rap – this was juicy and full of flavor.

And noooooooooooo, it didn’t taste like a beef burger – it’s not supposed to – it’s CHICKEN!!

Its a great sandwich period.

Here is what I’ve learned:

#1 – Don’t mix it.

You heard me. Seriously. No mixing. Of anything.

Just ground chicken.

Gently shape it into a patty and let it rest. Too much handling ruins the texture of the grind. Grind is good – mush is bad. Remember that. 😉

And for goodness sakes – make sure it’s COMPLETELY at room temp before putting it in the pan. This ensures the fastest and most even cooking.

Before placing patties into the pan – sprinkle your seasonings on the outside.  Trust me, it will be alright.  The seasonings will stay on and they will have the slightest toast to them adding a nuttiness that is fabulous.

I like a mix of sage, celery salt, garlic, and thyme. But whatever your little taste buds desire is fine.

look at that………………YUM.

#2. HOT pan.

That golden crustiness up there? Hot pan.

Make sure your pan is hot before you place those babies in there. Hot pan –  And just a touch of oil in there. AND LEAVE IT ALONE. Cook on one side until you see the meat is cooking up the sides of the patties,  then – leave it a bit longer – then flip.

I know you want to see what’s going on under there, but really, let the pan sear that burger so all the juice stays inside.

The top side (that you’ve already cooked) should have a lovely crunchy coat on it – YUM!

The top will begin to puff up as it cooks – resist the urge to push it down!  After you’ve bitten your nails a while, hopped back and forth foot to foot a bit, seriously questioned if something is wrong, come back and read this post – then, and only then can you gently push it down to ensure even browning (really – give it a few minutes to char a bit on the bottom so you don’t lose all the juices when you press! )

 

#3. The Toppings

Remember, we’re not trying to fool anyone here – this is a chicken burger – a delightful burger that deserves it’s own thang. So get creative – top it with my creamy lemon dill dressing,  pickled peppers, and kale — or whatever else makes your tastebuds tingle – – but PLEASE no plain mayo or the dreaded catsup.

Do that and you should have a fabulous chicken burger – juicy and full of flavor.

Toppings

Fried Kale

After I removed the burgers from the pan I threw some fresh kale right in the same pan.

 

You’ll want to press it down with something – I used an extra fry pan and my jar of pickling peppers (but be careful if you use a jar – the heat will travel right up and through that pan!)

 

 

 

Just cook until it begins to smell a little toasted.

Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing

Place a couple of tablespons of mayonnaise in a bowl, add finely chopped lemon peel, a splash or two of the lemon’s juice, and dill to taste.  Mix well. (should be two servings)

 

 

Pickled Peppers

This is one of those ‘by sight’ and ‘to taste’ things – and actually, this used leftover ‘pickle’ from a jar of cucumbers I had pickled last week. Bascially a 16 oz mason jar full of vinegar and water with sugar to taste (think bread and butter pickles) to which I added sliced green peppers. Let them marinate for a day or two.

When you put it all together

Because I’m focused on increasing my fitness level right now I paired it with fresh grapes and a half a peach. The peach has some cinnamon sprinkled on it and this was SOOO good. 🙂

(The entire mean was roughly 550 calories according to my piecing it all together on My Fitness Pal. )

I’d LOVE to hear other chicken burger recipes – if you’ve got a favorite one, let us know in the comments below!

 

Kale has seen a nice boost in popularity over the past few years. What was once a slimy stinky side of green mush is now being incorporated in all kinds of great ways in kitchens worldwide! ok, so maybe I got a little excited there – but seriously, it’s gained in popularity and there ARE recipes all around the internet and we hear people talking about kale a lot more than ever before.

And rightly so. Kale is one of those ‘wonder foods’ – it may even be classified as a ‘super food’ . It is one of the most nutritious foods around and it is SO easily accessible!  I have several recipes I’ll share in the coming weeks. First up is one that admittedly is NOT super quick. But it IS easy and it IS worth the effort. 🙂

I make mine with a dehydrator but you can also cook them in a LOW temp oven until they are crispy.

I know most people don’t have a dehydrator – I got mine as a special treat when I was eating a 99% raw diet.

I have a 5 tray excalibur and it really does do a GREAT job.They have come down in price but are still a pretty decent investment.

Kale Chips
I like to use fresh WHOLE leaves. I’ve tried with copped kale and it’s just not the same.

I don’t have measurements – this is a ‘to taste’ and ‘coat well’ method. So start with your kale and then mix a sauce that will give the kale a good coating.

 

Here is what went into the sauce I made the other day:

• Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsalmic Vinegar
• Nama Shoyu
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Sea Salt
• Nutritional Yeast
• Chili Powder

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not necessarily bite sized, but not more than two bites or they make a huge mess when you eat them.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I do about two very full spinners for a batch of kale chips.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Once this is all mixed I will typically add another heaping spoonful or two of nutritional yeast.

 

Let me know if you give them a try, or share below your favorite way to eat kale!

During the summer I don’t like to cook more than absolutely necessary. In fact, I don’t like to be in the kitchen much at all. I’d rather be out in the sun or down at my workbench.  So I try to come up with some fast and easy meals.

I ran across some whole grain flatbreads a while back and I fell in love with them for their heartiness and ease of use.  They can be used to make wraps or as a quick crust for a meal or dessert. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Not long ago I posted about my 3 inexpensive essential kitchen tools and the following wrap makes really good use out of that julienne peeler.

Look at the color in that!

I can’t recall for sure but I think these are Lavash brand flatbreads. I haven’t tried yet, but next on the agenda is making my own. There are recipes on the interwebs and I am eager to try.

The above wrap went something like this:

• Flatbread
• Spicey flatbread spread (‘recipe’ follows)
• julienned carrots, yellow squash, and cucumbers
• chopped red onion
• several large leaves of romaine lettuce
• and a tiny bit of crumbled feta

Lay out flatbread, smear on spicy spread, add veggies and feta, roll up, cut in half and ENJOY!

Spicy Flatbread Spread

• plain yogurt
• garlic chili sauce
• almond butter

Method:
strain yogurt overnight (this will drain fluid thickening the yogurt)

Mix strained yogurt, garlic chili sauce, almond butter.

I didn’t include measurements – this is a ‘to taste’ kind of spread. Start with as much yogurt as you want and go from there.

This wrap is so simple yet so delicious. And it can be prepared with whatever veggies are in the pantry at the time.

These wraps are quite filling yet very light. I never feel weighed down after eating them because they are mostly live foods. Full of nutrients, easily digested, and moves through the GI tract quickly (which is a good thing to help prevent colon cancer and other illnesses) .

I will often make one, cut in half, eat half and save the other half for later.

Ten minutes IS later – right?????